Art Music 2021 Winners Announced
Congratulations to the winners of the 2021 Art Music Awards, announced today. Presented annually by APRA AMCOS and the Australian Music Centre (AMC), the Art Music Awards acknowledge the achievements of composers, performers and educators in the genres of contemporary classical music, jazz, improvisation, sound art and experimental music.
They include some of Australia’s finest established and emerging artists, with women composers, experimentalists, sound artists and improvisers leading the way.
The 2021 Art Music Award winners are:
Work of the Year- Choral /Title: Sacred Stepping Stones/ Composer: Lisa Young/ Text: Lisa Young
Performer: Massed choir, Gondwana National Choral School 2020 and Lisa Young, conductor
Work of the Year- Dramatic/ Title: Dragon Ladies Don’t Weep; a Chamber Made & CultureLink Singapore co-production/ Composer: Erik Griswold/Performer: Margaret Leng Tan, performer, Tamara Saulwick, director, Nick Roux, video artist, and Kok Heng Leun, dramaturg.
Work of the Year – Jazz/ Title: Spaccanapoli/ Composer: Vanessa Perica/ Performer: Vanessa Perica Orchestra
Work of the Year – Large Ensemble/Title: Piece 43 For Now/Composer: Cathy Milliken/ Performer: SWR Symphonieorchester and Titus Engel, conductor
Work of the Year- Chamber Music/ Title: A Room of Her Own/Composer: Anne Cawrse/Performer: Australian String Quartet
Work of the Year- Electroacoustic/Sound Art/Title: Closed Beginnings/Composer: Tariro Mavondo, Reuben Lewis and Peter Knight/Performer: Tariro Mavondo, poetry, Reuben Lewis and Peter Knight, music, Jem Savage, sound production and Leo Dale, video production
Performance of the Year – Jazz/Improvised Music/Performer: Phonetic Orchestra/Title: Silent Towns/Composer: Phonetic Orchestra
Performance of the Year – Notated Composition – Performer: Sydney Chamber Opera, Jessica O’Donoghue, Jack Symonds, conductor, and Clemence Williams, director/Title: Commute/Composer: Peggy Polias/Text: Peggy Polias
Award for Excellence in Music Education: Moorambilla Voices for Moorambilla Magic Modules
Award for Excellence in Experimental Music:Leah Barclay, Lyndon Davis & Tricia King for Listening in the Wild
LUMINARY AWARDS
National Individual: Deborah Kayser for 30-year contribution to Australian music as a trail-blazing soprano
National Organisation Speak Percussion for visionary leadership and sustained contribution to Australian art music
State/Territory NSW: Ensemble Offspring for consistently high-quality performances, breadth of repertoire, and commitment to collaboration for 25 years
VICTORIA: Melbourne Digital Concert Hall for supporting the classical music industry during the COVID-19 crisis
QLD: Alex Raineri for commitment to the creation and performance of Australian contemporary music in the Brisbane Music Festival
SA: Anne Cawrse for sustained contribution to the new music culture of Adelaide through composition and education.
TASMANIA: Stephanie Eslake as founding editor of Cut Common, providing a voice to emerging composers and performers
